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There are 75 days before the triumphant start of a new Gregorian calendar year. So, for the next 30 days (Monday – Sunday) the blog postings will ask you one question. That question may inspire you, it may perplex you, it may anger you, or it may tickle you. It’s about the strength in you. The intent of the 75 questions is to probe, to prompt a reaction, to get you to stretch, to press beyond tradition or boundaries, to think broader, to break free, and then give a thoughtful answer to the one question of the day.

The overall intent of the 75 questions is to capture change. The questions are to be a catalyst for inner change that leaves you feeling more gifted, alive, powerful, intrigued, and authentic.

Illustration: Jen Troyer from Oprah.com

When these amazing emotions are opened up within you (they already exist), you change and your world changes and the whole world changes with you.

As you absorb the active spirit of giving, don’t forget to give to your inner self. It is important to pause and add your name to the gift list. Gifts oftentimes bestow happiness, especially when genuine thoughtfulness is attached to it. Then, it is not the gift or the cost of the item but the care and kindness that is associated with it.

Make it a practice and often used priority in your life to give a gift to yourself.

12 Gifts for You:

1. Joy – greet every experience with joy. The feelings of appreciation, gratitude and acquiesce, regardless of the circumstance, are invigorating life learning moments. Joy gives you wings.

2. Affirmation – say “yes” to life. Affirm your ability to direct your life. You are the captain of your life ship; guide yourself to whatever you desire. Claim your gifts; the universe is saturated with gems of inestimable value that are just for you.

3. Confirmation – verifications are right in front of your face when you are thinking about and doing the right thing. The available gift is for you to recognize the confirmations that automatically follow right action.

4. Understanding – in all of your giving, get the gift of understanding. Kindness is the bedrock of understanding. Stand on the principled rock of kind understanding, people will listen.

5. Excellence – doing your best, making excellence your signature, is a legacy gift. The imprint mark of excellence that is associated with your life is an eternal evidence of your life.

6. Confidence – go boldly in the direction you have chosen. Respect your choice(s) to the fullest. Find your way by this spotlight and “see the dawn before the rest of the world,” says Oscar Wilde.

7. Exploration – the world awaits your discovery. The excitement and enlightenment that accompanies exploration are priceless gifts.

8. Silence – quiet introspection causes the world to listen. Allow the gift of silence to guide your ultimate happiness and success. Calm mindfulness is a balm.

9. Openness – there are lessons to learn every day. Be open to teachable moments, these innocent gifts guide you closer to source.

10. Compassion – first never do harm. Gentle compassion to you is a gift that gives premium, perpetual joy. Give yourself the gift of compassion and then continuously give it away to others.

11. Peace – let the soft flowing water of peace buoy your life. Regardless of what happens, and many things will intrude upon your peace, quickly restore your calm with the gift of peace.

12. Love – love you! Love every piece of you; love your mind, heart, body, soul. Love you and all of the essence that composes this priceless pearl that you are. Love you in all of your uniqueness, there is nothing better than love.

It does not matter where you are or who you are-today is give yourself a gift day. This is important since you seldom pause long enough to be a self-gift giver. The world is locked in ambition, activity and automaton so much so that YOU are often forgotten, but not today. Today, and any other day you want to repeat this, give yourself a gift.

Make this pledge today: (You must practice this all day. This pledge can be repeated any time).

I give myself the gift of____________________

Don’t over think this-just give yourself a gift. Simple. (HINT) You may have more than one gift today.

Suggestions:

I give myself the gift of patience

I give myself the gift of truth

I give myself the gift of meditation

I give myself the gift of relaxation

You get the point, give yourself an inner character trait that strengthens your state of consciousness; please try to stay away from materialism – materials or longing for external stuff does nothing to advance who you are a person; one who is free from anger, envy, unhappiness, jealousy, sexism, or any other ego-centered feeling.

Instead, give yourself a gift that confirms and affirms the gift that you are.

Please feel free to share in a blog comment the gift(s) that you gave to yourself today on his blog. It would be exciting and healing to acknowledge your gift and pass it on to others as a gift from you.

I was talking to a dear friend last night and during our conversation we shifted to saying thank you to each other. She remarked that someone she knew said of her that she cherishes their friendship because she always said a sincere “thank you” to others for what they had done for her or given her.

This caused me to pause and ask myself if I am that thoughtful?

The answer is yes. I make it a priority to thank my friends and family for their kindness. Without fail I express my thanks in a multitude of ways. It is important to me to say thank you and I always do.

Thank you is important for two reasons: 1) It displays a graciousness and consciousness of a kind act from someone else. It reminds you to be grateful – in all ways always and 2) It allows you to acknowledge and accept kind gestures from others.

Both reasons – being grateful and acceptance – form character and character forms the person. It is praiseworthy and important to be known for having the being of a good character.

“Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece by thought, choice, courage and determination.” ~John Luther

Let me share a few ways to say “thank you:”

1. Say it immediately after a compliment. Acknowledge the words with gracious gratitude. Your response may be just a simple thank you with a smile or you may bridge onto that compliment by saying something sincere and true about the other person.

2. The Post Foundation recommends writing a handwritten thank you note promptly after an interview, getting a gift, or after receiving an award. Handwritten notes are far more powerful than e-mail or text messages – it says that you took a little more time to write the note and that leaves an indelible impression.

3. Make a phone call. Call the person and talk about the gift, award, or kind gesture. Be sure to sit down and have a conversation rather than rush through the acknowledgment.

4. Send flowers or a small gift. Yes, it is appropriate to send flowers or a small, well chosen gift when you have gotten something that is important to you. Two years ago I needed an endorsement for my new book and I was given that endorsement without a fee attached from a powerful figure in my target field. Not only did I send an elaborate thank you note, I sent flowers to her office too. They were impressed so much that we still stay in touch. I have gained monetary and professional bonuses which exceeded the cost of the flowers from my kind act that extended beyond the usual to say thank you.

Thank you is important! You will get more back when you express your gratitude for the good will given to you by others.

Practice the habit of saying thank you. Be gracious, be sincere, be willing to open up and let others see your character.